Aktivitas Activity of Green Tea (Camellia sinensis (L) O. Kuntze) Polyphenols as Immunomodulator through Response of Suppression Immunoglobulin E (IgE) in Allergic Rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory condition of the nasal mucosa caused by interactions between allergens and immunoglobulin E (IgE). Immunomodulatory is an important part of the treatment of allergic rhinitis. One of the medicinal plants that have immunomodulatory activities is green tea (Camellia sinensi.s L.), specifically polyphenols. The purpose of this study was to analyze the activity of green tea's polyphenols as an immunomodulator in patients with allergic rhinitis. This study was conducted in June to December 2011 in the laboratory of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine Unsyiah with the IgE examinations conducted in private laboratories. This study is a pretest-postest quasi experimental study with control group design. Subjects were 12 patients with allergic rhinitis; 6 people were included in the control group (placebo) and 6 in the treatment group (green tea's polyphcnols 2x350 mg/day, for 14 days). Analysis of the data was performed using the normality test, homogeneity test, and t-test (p<0.05). The results showed that the levels of immunoglobulin E after the administration of green tea's polyphcnols in the treatment group was lower than the control group (1.475.2 +/- 940.7 vs 494.3 +/- 366.5 IU), but not significantly (p=0.05). In conclusion, the administration of green tea's polyphenols can insignificantly decrease the secretion of IgE. Hence, further research is required.